Monday, January 26, 2015

Last week on a whim we jumped in the car and drove down to Florida for some sun and fun. My kids used to be great on roadtrips and these days...not so much. They took turns passing around the iPad, the video player and LeapPad for 19 hours. My husband is a machine behind the wheel and we only had one stop each way - and he did most of the driving. I think I'm ready to try flying with kids again. In the 9 days we were gone I only got to hit one Rack and it felt like we spent most of our vacation in the car. I kept spying outlets, Goodwills and malls and there was just no time to shop :(

The kids only had a half day of school today because of the snow so as soon as I got them on the bus and worked out I headed out to shop. I had a feeling Century 21 would hit 75% off today but I wanted to first do a couple returns at TJ Maxx and hit Nordstrom to pick up the new Miley Cyrus Viva Glam lipstick. TJ seems to have had another round of yellow sticker markdowns but there was nothing good left. Then at the mall I popped into Neiman Marcus to see what was left at their consolidation sale but not a single Rockstud, Louboutin or Chanel was left in my size. At least I got my new lipstick - and I got it for free with my Nordstrom notes. It was a good thing I went in because the coordinating lip gloss sold out at Nordstrom and I'm not sure how much longer the lipstick will be around. If you're into bright pinks you'll love the new Miley Viva Glam - it's a gorgeous pop of color. It is less red than I thought it would be. It's very moist and not as dry as some MAC lipsticks. The salesgirl told me I would need a lipliner because it's one of their Amplified lipsticks but I'm wearing it right now without it and it's just fine. No bleeding at all. I've already had a bunch of complements today :)

After the mall I headed to Nordstrom Rack and H&M to do a couple returns. H&M has 50% off clearance right now but it was slim pickins. I walked out empty handed and finally made it to Century 21 and it was a good thing I did...

Because I was right! Designer shoes were being marked down! Despite not getting there when they opened I came home with a bag full of shoes :) I took a few pics of ones that didn't work for me so you can get an idea of what they had.

Marc by Marc Jacobs wedge booties for 75% off $169.97 ($42.50) - saw them in 6.5 and 8.5.

Strappy size 7 Fendis for 75% off $439.97 ($110)

I've been watching these Rebecca Minkoffs for weeks hoping they would make it in my size :) They had tons left in multiple sizes for just $32! I grabbed the 9 and 9.5 so I could decide which fit better at home.

Found two pairs of these Love Moschino size 11 moon boots for just $25!!!!

I also spotted a sign for their upcoming designer event - can't wait to see what they'll have :)

I went back to the Rack before heading out to get my kids and a little birdie told me that they will also be having a designer sale soon :) I hope it's going to be as good as their first one because their last one was just sad. Fingers crossed that they will get designer accessories and shoes too!

Century marks down a few departments each day so I'll be stalking them every day this week (weather permitting). Now it's time for you to run to Century and see what you can find!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

On January 1st the girls and I always head to the City to the American Girl Doll store to meet the new doll of the year. This year the whole family came. Traditionally the streets of NYC are dead New Years Day so we took the car but because got there a little later than usual so midtown parking wasn't quite the piece of cake as it should have been. Good thing my husband is extremely gifted in the parking department. He squeezed us in between a SUV and a Hummer like a pro.

Don't worry, I took pictures of both cars plates before we left in just in case. Luckily we got back to the car just as the Hummer in front was pulling out. She was very careful :)

I decided to pull out my Chanel for the occasion. It really doesn't get the love it deserves because my Balenciaga is such an amazing everyday bag that I really only switch it up for special occasions. In this pic I paired it with my $5 Yosca sample sale bracelet. Very Chanel too, right?

I had not pulled out my orange coat for a while and I needed a change from my black thrifted down coat that I've been wearing almost daily. It's freezing out here!

Yes, still wearing it with my Rebecca Minkoff MAC chain strap :)

My girls and I love dolls - and all the freebies at the AG store :) This year's doll, Grace Thomas loves to bake so they had cookie decorating and free aprons for dolls, in addition to arts and crafts and a treasure hunt. My son spent most of the time in Julie's egg chair :)

Now down to business - welcome to sale season! It's the one time of year that I actually step foot in a mall and see what's going on at retail. As a fashion hoarder it's insanely difficult to show restraint when I know there is Chanel for 60% off out there - luckily I have a small degree of self control. Very small LOL. I'm still resisting but if you can't, you need to head to Saks and Neiman Marcus (among other stores) for some designer deals. Saks hit second cut but Neiman Marcus should be happening this week or next for second markdown on Louboutin and Chanel. From what I'm seeing the finds this season are not so amazing and really the only thing I would really love is a pair of Sophia Webster heels. I'm still a little bummed I didn't get anything at the second day of her sample sale. She's so quirky and colorful and I feel a pair would really brighten up my wardrobe.

I always kick off the season with Target holiday clearance. I've been flooding my Instagram and Facebook with my 70-90% off finds. Be sure to follow me there to see my up-to-date finds so you can score them too! By the time I get my blog up it's sometimes too late.

This picture got me my most likes on Insta to date. Who knew EOS was so popular? Personally I'm not a huge fan because they don't really moisturize my lips but I guess people like the smell and that's it's natural. I don't give them to my 5 year old anymore because evidently they taste good too and she ate her last one. I hope they are kosher LOL.

I really like these Think Thin bars - they are delicious (and low sugar & high protein). I was pretty pissed when my husband mistook them for granola bars and put them in my kids' lunch boxes. Now I have to hunt down more. Hopefully by now they are at 70% off.

I needed a new Coffeemate - I usually look for fat free and sugar free but for half off I figured just sugar free would do. As you can see I love minty things...

Speaking of mint - I grabbed a bunch of these at 70% off (about $.90 a bag) for my SIL who lives out of the country but alas I've already finished 2 bags. Sorry V - I have no self control.

I am obsessed with Sharpies! I use the silver ones all the time so I grabbed a few at 70% off. Luckily I found more at 90% too.

I spotted a bunch of these but left them because I'm pretty stocked up on scissors and tape from last year.

And this is what I mean by hiding in plain site. Always check other departments in random places for holiday clearance. I never find anything good in the "right" place.

These were my husband's 70% off finds - lots of odds and ends for the house. In case you are wondering, this Jewish girl uses the lights for her sukkah :)

I really try to take what I can actually use - found a few spinbrushes at 70% off.

And I can always use 90% off flatware! Cleared the shelf - they were hiding in the party goods area.

When you have girls you kinda have to stock up Hello Kitty and lipstuff :)

The baby department is always flooded with 90% off clothing and PJs - much less for bigger kids. I tried to be selective and only grab a few things.

I potty trained my kids pretty early so I never really put them in footie pajamas - much easier for a small child to go to the bathroom in a nightie or 2-pc. My 5 year old loves cozy things so for $1.49 I had to get her these now that she's old enough to handle the zipper. She loves them so much she's tried to wear them to school a few times already :)

For my son I got this 2-pc for $1.49.

I manged to find myself a matching pair for $1.99 :)

I saw a display full of the matching slippers for $.79 but I really didn't need them so I left them.

Couldn't leave the hubs out - they had a full rack of these hiding with the rest of the PJ bottoms in the mens department. Got a stack of these cozy pants for $1.79 each!

Spotted two of these Transformers glasses for 90% off but anyone with small kids knows that glasses + little kids = disaster. Skipped 'em and left them for the next bargain hunter.

While I was scanning I noticed a woman with these plates so I went to investigate. Seems they had a pricing error LOL. I cleared the shelf for my YDD's next party.

And last but not least I didn't get enough boy stuff for my son so I picked up a few of these sponges - I knew he would like the polar bear :)

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Century 21 is still holding at 30-50% off so I'll be checking back this week. TJ Maxx and Marshalls finally hit yellow stickers. I had a feeling it was going to be Thursday and for some reason I stopped at the Rack first. The good news is that kids was having markdowns and I remembered one of the sales associated mentioning that one of the animal purses had been previously marked down - so I guessed correctly that they would hit a penny :)

Scored two bags of these reindeer doggie purses for my DD's next birthday party! I'm thinking about removing the bells and snipping off their antlers so they look less holiday-ish.

Women's also had markdown this week so I've been picking up cheap dresses left and right :)

This $385 Tracy Reese was hands down my favorite dress this week! $29.90, baby! At the checkout I asked them to search for a 6 for me but turns out the 4 fits - woohoo! I layered it with my Halftee layering shirt, Sergio Rossi boots (also from the Rack), Yosca sample sale earrings, and a few Rack bracelets - including my penny Rebecca Minkoff & Kate Spade bracelets.

I've been watching this Parker dress for a while - it finally dropped to $19.90 and they had a size small left. Can't wait to wear it this summer!!!

This Rebecca Minkoff dress was only $30 and magically I fit into the size 2. Must be mis-sized. I also don't know how to wear it because it dips up in the front so you can almost see my undies. Not good - I'm thinking it's really just for the beach as a cover up. Pity.

This $248 French Connection dress was just $26. Not sure I need it but I'm a sucker for a cute cheap dress :)

Some other recent Rack finds include this amazing $825 Balenciaga skirt that I scored for $123.75. It's gorgeous - very Park Avenue princess :) I have not owned a white bottom in years (I've been around too many dirty little fingers) but now that my youngest is 5 I think I can chance it.

$320 Vera Wang for $19.90? Yes, please! Again, don't really need it but I did mention the Vera Wang for less than $20 thing, right?

This $348 French Connection striped sequin dress is so cute - even cuter for $26 after the additional 25% off from Clear the Rack :)

I sparked a little debate on Insta/Facebook with this $795 Red Valentino that came out to just $63 after my Clear the Rack discount. I think it's so cute but I get that it may not be age appropriate. I don't really go by standard fashion rules and I'm sure I could rock this dress but honestly I'm not really sure where I'd wear it. Still undecided...

Getting back to the good stuff, I got to my favorite TJ Maxx Runway location at about noon and this is what they had left - I don't even want to think about what I missed...

Stella McCartney!!!

Fendi!!!

I found both these YSL and $425 Theyskens' Theory Ayla booties and $1100 Saint Laurent suede platform booties for $39 and $399 respectively. Beside the YSL's being too small and the heels too tall it was still too pricey for me. I was able to squeeze into the 39.5 Theorys and I figured they had a similar look and the price was right. I probably would have been better off with size 40. I'm too old for shoes that aren't comfortable so we'll see.

As always, I also picked up lots of random odds and ends - I'll post them next time...for now I need to get my blog up already LOL.

I love seeing and hearing what you guys find too - please share! Be sure to tag me in your Insta pics of your scores. Good luck treasure hunting!

-Shoppinggal

P.S. If you haven't shopped my last blog sale I still have a few goodies left!